LONDON, June 29 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
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Largest ever drone investment in UK Armed Forces-more than£5billion over the next four years - to be included in the Defence Investment Plan.
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Investment will drive a dronetransformation for theUK Armed Forces, withnew technologyand infrastructure to keep the nation at the leading edge of innovation,and back British jobs.
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Prime Minister to launch Defence Investment Plan today (Tuesday 30 June), setting out how the Government will go further and faster on defence spending to protect the nation.
Britain's Armed Forces will bestrengthened and thousands of British jobs created through a dronetransformation, announced by the Prime Minister today and backed bymore than£5 billion in the Government's Defence Investment Plan.
In a major speech at a British defence firm today (Tuesday 30 June), thePrime Minister will set out hownewinvestment in defence will accelerate the use of drones and autonomous systems across the Armed Forcesand keep the country safe for years to come,as he launches the Defence Investment Plan.
As the conflicts inIran and Ukraine show, drones are rapidly reshaping warfare, with cheap systems destroying high value targets and innovation cycles measuredin weeks, not years.
Ukraine usesroughly 200,000drones a monthto defend itself from Russia's barbaric invasion,whileat the height of the Iranconflict,700offensivedroneswerebeinglaunchedper day.
The £5 billion investment will see Britain build a flexible, integrated force with attack drones flying alongside Army helicopters, RAF jets made invisible from enemy detection with new drones, and a hybrid Royal Navy made up of crewed and uncrewed vessels.
Itwill alsofund Europe's biggest drone testing centre, the Uncrewed Systems Centre, opened earlier this month in Swindon, and a new Uncrewed Systems Taskforce to rapidly develop and field new autonomous capabilities with industry.This will ensure the UK can continuously scaleproduction andget the very latest drones into the hands of our Armed Forcesto protect the UK and our Allies.
The Prime Minister will today lay outotherkey areas of the Defence Investment Plan and how the Government will go further and faster on defence spending to protect national security, drive growth across the country and deliver opportunity.
The Defence Secretaryhas spent the last two weeks refocusing theDIPso that it prioritises getting the latest kit into the hands of military personnel, including for the UK's elite Commandos.They will be equipped with new high-speed boats and the latest drone and autonomous technology. At least six new warships will also be built for the Royal Navy, delivering the UK's most advanced maritime air defence capability and keeping British shipyards working for decades to come.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
This game-changing investment will strengthen our Armed Forces on land, at sea and in the air, ensuring our servicemen and women have the cutting-edge capabilities they need to deter evolving threats and keep the British people safe.
At the same time, we are backing British innovation, British industry and British jobs and delivering opportunity to every corner of the country.
Today's Defence Investment Plan will help drive growth across the UK, giving our industrial base the confidence, certainty and support it needs to develop and scale the technologies that will keep our country safe and secure long into the future.
Defence SecretaryDan Jarvis MBE MPsaid:
Our Armed Forces are serving at an increasingly dangerous and unpredictable time. We are determined to give them what they need as they serve with courage and exceptional skill to keep us safe.
The character of warfare is rapidly changing. In Ukraine and the Middle East, uncrewed systems are defining conflicts. This largest ever UK investment into these evolving technologieswill help our Armed Forces stay ahead of our adversaries, backed by the best of our defence industry. We aregiving our extraordinary people the equipment they need to fight and win.
Thismajor investment will see capabilities ranging fromhighlycomplexautonomous mine-hunting drones to small 'quadcopter' tactical drones, andlow-cost 'kamikaze' one-way attack drones.The dronetransformation will be accelerated across all the services:
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is transforming into aHybrid Navy,combining autonomous vesselsand AI with warshipsandaircraft, including:
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Type 91:Uncrewedmissileplatformsto increase the firepower of the Hybrid Fleet.
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Type 92:Uncrewed sense platformsdesigned to hunt enemy submarines across the North Atlantic, supporting our new frigates.
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Type 93:Extra-largeuncrewed underwatervesselswhich will work alongside crewed hunter-killer submarines to seek and destroy enemy submarines.
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Type 94: Uncrewed sense platforms designed to scan the skies for threats to the hybrid navy or the homeland.
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In the 2030s, we willexpand the numbers of the above platformsandbring at least six Common Combat Vessels into service asthe brainof a networked Maritime Air Defence system.
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Project PANTHEON: Development of a Hybrid Carrier Air Wing,including trialling jet-powered drones to work alongside our F-35B force.
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Our Royal Marine Commandos willbenefitfrom further investment in their transformation,equipped with new high-speed boats and the latest drone and autonomous technology.
British Army
The British Army is increasing its lethality, including through:
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A major investment into inexpensive expendable autonomous systems and loitering munitions to enhance the lethality of the Army, including a £50millionboost over the next 12 months for the Army's RAPSTONE programme,fundingadditionalfirstpersonviewand interceptor drones.
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Uncrewed Ground Vehicles:A new programme to rapidly develop and produce uncrewed vehiclesand their associated mission systemsfor the Army through UK industry.
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Project NYX: Up to 24autonomous armeddroneswill be operational by 2030, flying alongsidetheArmy's recentlyupgradedApache helicopters. They will carry out reconnaissance, precision strikes, and electronic warfare.
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Project Corvus: Up to 24surveillance drones to replace the Watchkeeper system,carryingout intelligence, surveillance, targetacquisitionand reconnaissance.
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is transforming, investing in:
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A new, national Collaborative Combat Airprogramme:The development of new autonomous fighter jetswhich will fly alongside crewed jets, to defend the UK's skieswith a demonstrator flying by at least 2030.
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Storm Shroud system:Bring our newuncrewed electronic warfare droneintoservice this year.
This Defence Investment Plan is delivering the vision set out in the Strategic DefenceReviewand placing defence on a stronger, more sustainable footing.
TheDefence Investment Plan will prioritise growing sovereign British AI and autonomous technology, drawing on the UK's world-leading research base - collaborating with key allies and positioning Britain to exportcutting-edgedefence capabilities internationally.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
